Starbucks launching frozen drinks in grocery stores

Feb. 26, 2013

Starbucks is expanding its presence in the retail market by teaming up with Inventure Foods to launch Seattle's Best Coffee Frozen Coffee Blends, the coffee category's first blend-at-home frozen coffee beverage, according to a company press release.

This new product launch represents a move to bring frozen coffee into the home as a response to the growing popularity of at-home blending and the rise of blended coffee drinks, said Terry McDaniel, chief executive officer of Inventure Foods. The companies believe the drinks will appeal to a booming number of blended coffee drinkers in the U.S., sales of which have surged to $4.3 billion in 2012.

Seattle's Best Coffee leveraged more than 40 years of coffee experience to help develop the new packaged coffee drinks. The new line is made with 100-percent Arabica coffee beans.

"The recent growth of iced coffee suggests that consumers no longer view coffee as just a morning routine," said Steve Sklar, senior vice president of marketing at Inventure Foods. "We see great potential for a delicious frozen coffee drink that can easily be made at home or at work any time of the day."

With a suggested retail price ranging from $2.99 to $3.49, each Seattle's Best Coffee Frozen Coffee Blends will be sold in an 8-ounce, stand-up, vertical package.